Heathrow boss urges UK to scrap quarantine for low-risk countries
The chief executive of Heathrow Airport today said Britain should scrap quarantine requirements for passengers arriving from countries with low levels of Covid concerns.
Currently, countries with the highest levels of Covid concerns must take tests before departure and upon arrival.
They must quarantine in a government hotel for at least ten days, in what Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye described as “a huge expense”.
Calls for new level of risk
Speaking to BBC radio, Holland-Kaye said: “We need a new level in between the amber and the green (levels of risk), where you have low levels of variants of concern but still some issues.
“You might have to have testing before you get on the plane, possibly testing after you’ve arrived but no need for quarantine.
“And that’s the big change we need to see, stepping away from quarantine, as the main control.”
US ‘should be at the front of the queue’
Holland-Kaye said that plans should come in place from mid-May, citing Israel one of the first countries that should be opened up to international travel due to its vaccine success.
He also noted the importance of enabling travel from the US, which makes up 20 per cent of the UK’s inbound and outbound passengers.
“They have high vaccination levels and low Covid levels, they should be at the front of the queue.”